Pakistan’s Abdullah Shafique, right, is congratulated by teammate Imam-ul-Haq after scoring fifty during the second day of the first Test vs England in Rawalpindi on December 2, 2022.
| Photo Credit: AP
Pakistan reached a relatively quiet 108/0 after England was bowled out for an aggressive 657 on the second day of its record-setting first Test in Pakistan in 17 years on Friday.
Openers Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique hit sedate half centuries before tea, but could exhibit only half of the England batters’ aggression on a grass-less wicket where neither fast bowlers nor spinners have troubled the batters.
Shafique was unbeaten on 54 off 101 balls while Imam was not out on 52 off 97 balls, but Pakistan still trails England by 549 runs.
Imam should have been dismissed very early into the second session but wicketkeeper Ollie Pope couldn’t grab a faint edge in left-arm spinner Jack Leach’s first over.
On an unresponsive wicket for the bowlers, England persisted with spinners for the majority of the second session with veteran James Anderson bowling only one over after lunch and Ollie Robinson two overs.
Jack Leach delivers a ball during the second day of the first Test between Pakistan and England at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on December 2, 2022.
| Photo Credit:
AP
Imam and Shafique batted confidently against Leach’s left-arm spin, but were more attacking against offspinner Will Jacks, who conceded 44 runs off his 10 overs.
After amassing a world record 506/4 in 75 overs on the opening day when four of the five top-order England batters scored centuries, England added 151 runs at the same electrifying pace to rack up its highest total in a test innings against Pakistan.
England’s previous best effort against Pakistan came at Manchester in 2016 when it scored 589/8.
Zahid Mahmood recorded the most expensive figures in a debut test innings when he finished with 4/235 as England batters swept and reverse swept the leg-spinner with ease on a placid wicket.
Sri Lankan offspinner Suraj Randiv held the previous record when he ended up with 2/222 against India at Colombo in 2010.
To compound Pakistan bowling problems, fast bowler Haris Rauf (1-78) couldn’t take the field on Day 2 after feeling discomfort in his right quad. Rauf, playing his debut test in his hometown, rolled over the ball during fielding on the first day and his injury was being monitored by the team medical staff.
England resumed the second day with the same aggressive approach that saw Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook all smashing centuries on the first day.
Captain Ben Stokes, resuming on 34, lofted Naseem Shah (3/140) over his head for a straight six off the first ball he faced before he was clean-bowled by the fast bowler off a slower delivery in the same over after scoring 41 off 18 balls.
Harry Brook plays a revers sweep shot during the second day of the first Test between Pakistan and England in Rawalpindi on December 2, 2022.
| Photo Credit:
AP
Brook, resuming on 101, didn’t give the Pakistan bowlers any respite with his superb stroke play as he smashed Mahmood for 27 runs in an over that included a reverse swept six. Brook finally holed out at deep square leg for 153 off 116 balls which featured 19 fours and five sixes.
England didn’t include ill wicketkeeper Ben Foakes in the playing XI after he couldn’t recover from a viral infection which had affected several visiting team members and put in doubt the timely start of the first test.
But most of the England players – including Stokes – recovered in time from the infection and the test started on schedule.